Autumn Song
by foggynite
Summary: [Dai Guard] Akagi drags Shirota on a vacation. Yaoi hints. Spoilers for end of series.


Autumn Song  
By foggynite  
Fandom: Dai Guard  
Pairing: Shirota + Akagi vibes (maybe just a teensy more than in the series, but c'mon—They argued, they mocked, they watched each other's backs to the detriment of their careers/reputations—They're more to each other than just BFF . )  
Warning: Spoilers for the end of the series.  
Summary: Directly after the final episode. "Shirota's going to have fun, even if it kills him! Or me!"  
Notes: Title taken from Margurite Kingman's poem "Autumn Song."

* * *

"Ah! Mr. Shirota! Mr. Akagi!" The man behind the counter greeted them enthusiastically. "What would you like today? We have some nice red snapper…" 

"That sounds great," Akagi gushed as he took his usual seat at the bar.

Shirota followed at a more sedate pace and nodded a greeting to the owner.

"I'll have one as well," he said, sitting down and removing his sunglasses.

"Man," Akagi sighed. "A whole month without Dai Guard and I have to give a speech while everyone else goes to the hot springs again. This sucks."

"I thought you liked being a hero," Shirota commented dryly. "Public appearances are a part of the job."

Akagi gave him a dirty look. "I'm sure you'll be laughing at me the entire time you're there, just like everyone else."

"On the contrary—" Shirota paused to thank the chef as their food was placed in front of them. "I won't be in attendance."

"Whaaat?" Akagi shouted in disbelief. The other regular patrons were used to the outbursts by now, so no one paid them any mind.

"Why not?" The younger man demanded. "Ibuki even invited you personally to come!"

"I'm not interested in such things." Shirota hoped his tone would quell Akagi's tenacity, but the pilot regarded him shrewdly.

"Oh, I see. This is another one of those group-avoidance issues, isn't it?"

Shirota blinked and paused, as close as he ever came to a sputter. "I do not avoid groups."

"Riiiiiight."

"Akagi," he frowned.

"I bet you hated going on class trips when you were in school, too, didn't you?" Akagi smirked.

Flustered but refusing to show it, Shirota rested his chopsticks on his bowl.

"Despite what you may think, I enjoyed traveling when I was younger. However, given my current position and the state of affairs for the country, I have no time for such frivolous indulgences."

"You're only thirty-one, Shirota," Akagi said wryly as he twirled his own chopsticks. "Don't you think that's a little young to be putting yourself out to pasture?"

"No." Picking up his tea so that he wouldn't have to meet Akagi's eyes, Shirota focused on his dinner again.

"Hey! I've got it! You and me can go on a vacation together, just to get you used to traveling with someone else. I can be, like, your training wheels or something!"

"No." Shirota calmly set his cup down and started eating again.

"Aw, why not?" Akagi whined. "It'll be fun! We can go to a hot spring, or maybe a beach!"

"No."

"Why not?"

The whining reached a pitch that was drawing the attention of other diners, so Shirota sighed and placed his chopsticks in his bowl again with precise movements.

"Akagi," he said in his usual even tones. "First, I do not have any problems traveling with other people. I do it quite frequently for my job. Second, how do you think it would look to our superiors if we were to go on a vacation together?"

"Uh," Akagi gave him an isn't-it-obvious look. "That we're friends?"

"Exactly. My objectivity is already in question and—"

"So what does it matter then, if we go?"

Sitting straighter in his chair, Shirota resumed eating without responding. Akagi sighed heavily and gave his soup a glum look.

Shirota refused to be swayed by such petty antics.

* * *

Occasionally shooting Ibuki and Aoyama piteous glances in the hopes of a helping hand, Akagi was slaving away over paperwork when Tanigawa and Nakahara returned from lunch. 

"Soooo," Tanigawa drawled, waiting until she had everyone's attention. "You'll never guess what I just heard from HR!"

"What's that, Tanigawa?" Aoyama prompted with a bored air.

"Shirota and Akagi are going on vacation together!"

Akagi froze as all eyes in the room suddenly focused on him.

"What?" He demanded irritably, crossing his arms. "Can't two friends go on a quiet trip together? Besides, we'll actually be working while the rest of you head off to the hot springs!"

While the division considered this amongst themselves, speculation already flying wildly over their heads, Ibuki gave him a small smile.

"True, we'll be working," she said. "But Shirota's never taken a vacation since he's been with us."

"Well, except for that one time Saeki took his job out from under him," Aoyama pointed out helpfully.

Akagi frowned.

"It's no big deal, guys. Really."

The office chatter seemed disappointed, but Ooyama brought everyone to task for slacking and people returned to their work. Akagi gave the office coordinator a smile of gratitude, feeling awkward and not knowing why. She just grinned stiffly and handed him more paperwork.

"Ooyama!" He whined.

"By five, Akagi," she said in a sing-song voice.

"So," Aoyama said casually from the other side of Ibuki, busy stamping reports himself. "Do you know where you're going?"

Akagi shrugged, voice subdued as he shuffled the new paperwork into the pile. "Honestly, I had to twist his arm to get him to agree, so I thought I'd let him decide."

"You're letting Shirota pick?" Ibuki gave him an appraising look. "Well, you always did have more courage than brains…"

"Hey!" Akagi protested half-heartedly, then shrugged again and picked absently at the stack of reports in front of him. "He's only coming along so I'll stop bugging him about it. I figure it's the least I can do if he's willing to put up with me."

Exchanging concerned glances with Aoyama, Ibuki rested a hand on Akagi's shoulder.

"I'm sure you two will have a great time," she said reassuringly.

Visibly perking up, Akagi smiled brightly at his fellow pilots. "Of course we will! Shirota's going to have fun, even if it kills him! Or me!"

Determinedly returning to his work, he ignored Ibuki and Aoyama's dubious expressions.

* * *

"Hey, Shirota!" Akagi greeted him loudly at the entrance to the train station, weaving through the heavy foot traffic to reach him. "Wow, I've never seen you out of your suit before!" 

Shirota arched an eyebrow as Akagi blinked at his simple sweater and black slacks. "I assure you, I do own casual attire."

Grinning, Akagi shifted his duffel bag to his other shoulder and seemed content to beam idiotically at him for a moment.

"Here," Shirota held out a pamphlet. "I've made reservations."

"Hot springs! Cool!"

"You did show a decided interest in them, if I'm to understand the first thirty times you mentioned it."

They were beginning to block the foot traffic around them, so Shirota motioned for Akagi to precede him. Absorbed in reading about the accommodations, Akagi paid him little mind, but came along easily when Shirota guided him with a firm hand on his elbow.

"They have tennis! And room service! And a sand bath! Cool!"

After Akagi started exclaiming over every line of the pamphlet, Shirota tuned him out and focused on boarding the right train. They ended up finding their train with time to spare, so they stowed their overnight bags and Shirota secured a window seat for himself.

Akagi fell silent once they were sitting, sighing contentedly and staring out the window past Shirota. A vague smile played on his lips. Shirota looked quickly away.

"This is nice, y'know?" Akagi said quietly, his upper arm a source of warmth on Shirota's armrest. "I'm glad we're taking a break."

Glancing at the lines of exhaustion around Akagi's eye, Shirota nodded solemnly and let his arm stay where it was.

* * *

Akagi awoke quickly, sitting up straighter in his seat and looking around. People were starting to gather their things for the next stop. The old woman on his left elbowed him accidentally again as she put her knitting away. He smiled nervously at her when she glared at him, and shrunk closer against Shirota. 

"You were snoring," Shirota murmured, sparing him an amused glance. "Quite loudly."

Akagi's cheeks flushed and he tried to look inconspicuous. "You should have woken me."

"I tried."

Shirota was as close to smirking as he ever came, so Akagi decided the best course would be to distract and deflect. Unfortunately, that meant saying the first thing that popped into his head.

"Your sweater's comfortable. Is this wool?" Akagi asked, awkwardly patting the shoulder his cheek had been pressed against. A dark circle marred the crisp lines of knitting and his eyes widened with horror.

"You also drool in your sleep."

Shirota was definitely amused now. Akagi wanted to crawl under his seat and die.

* * *

The resort was peaceful and welcoming after the bustle of the train station. Shirota half expected Akagi to resume his customary chatter upon waking up, but the younger man mostly beamed happily at the scenery and followed where Shirota led. 

After checking them in, Shirota turned to hand Akagi a room key but found him talking with a young couple waiting in line. And apparently giving them his autograph. Other people in the lobby were beginning to give them curious glances.

He arched an eyebrow when Akagi looked at him sheepishly and gathered their bags.

"They actually recognized me," the pilot said incredulously once they were in the hallway. "They said their son's a big fan."

"You are a national hero," Shirota pointed out.

"Well, yeah." Akagi smiled. "But normally I'm in a huge robot fighting. Or giving speeches to older students. I've never been stopped on the street before."

Shirota shook his head, then sighed as he unlocked the door to their room and Akagi bounded in excitedly.

"What should we do first?" Akagi asked, throwing his duffel bag on one of the twin beds. "We only have today and tomorrow morning, so maybe we could hit the courts--"

"I thought we were here to relax?" Shirota interrupted dryly, claiming the other bed.

"Tennis is relaxing," Akagi said defensively.

Arching an eyebrow, Shirota went to examine the Western-style bathroom and change. While normally he would have requested traditional accommodations, only Western rooms had been available at the short notice.

When he emerged, Akagi was ready to go, nearly bouncing in place.

"C'mon," the pilot grinned maniacally, then paused with his hand on the door, turning to Shirota. "Wait, you're not wearing your sunglasses to the hotspring, are you? We don't want to scare people!"

Frowning, Shirota raised a hand to his face, but Akagi beat him to it. Deftly plucking the glasses from Shirota's nose, Akagi tucked them into the folds of his yukata. He gave Shirota a thoughtful look, then smiled brightly.

"Much better," he said and continued out the door.

Shirota stood where he was for a moment longer, wondering why his heart was pounding. He hadn't even thought to protest.

* * *

Still not believing how bold he had been about the sunglasses, Akagi covered his nerves with rapid chatter all the way to the springs. The inanities flying from his mouth were nothing new, he told himself. Only, he hadn't been like this around Shirota since the beginning months of their friendship. They had reached a point where their silences were comfortable and undemanding, and Akagi just wanted to dispel the weird tension before it affected the rest of the weekend. 

Although Shirota hadn't even reprimanded him for the liberty he'd taken. Hadn't even asked for his glasses back yet, and Akagi glanced at him as they approached the water. He didn't seem angry. Just-- quiet. Like he was thinking something over.

Akagi tried to ignore the fact that, although Shirota had a desk job, he obviously still followed a daily physical training regimen.

As Shirota lowered himself into the steaming water, Akagi looked way with flushed cheeks, mortified by his own thoughts, and quickly seated himself on a ledge. He could always blame his redness on the heat…

"So," he said with an awkward chuckle. "I just realized that we've been friends for over a year and I don't really know much about your past."

Shirota arched an eyebrow, but sank deeper into the water and just-- relaxed. For, like, the first time since Akagi had met him.

"What would you like to know?"

Akagi glanced at him in surprise, not expecting the easy capitulation.

"Well," he waved his hands in the water, watching the resulting eddies. "You know, stuff like whether you have a family or not…"

"Everyone has family. Contrary to popular belief, I wasn't raised by wolves."

Akagi's eyes widened. "I didn't mean to imply--"

Without his sunglasses on, Shirota's face was much more expressive. It was easier to tell when he was poking fun at someone.

Akagi glared. "You're messing with me."

Shirota looked over at him, then let his mouth ease into a grin. "I'm an only child. My parents had me later in life, after having been told for years they couldn't have children. I was… unexpected."

Slouching in the water, Akagi propped his arms back against the lip of the spring.

"Me, too." His voice turned teasing. "Not that my parents had me late or anything, but I think they were afraid to have any other kids after me."

"I can't imagine why," Shirota said dryly.

Akagi shrugged with a smile. "I've always been a handful. I'll admit it. But I had lots of cousins and friends to play with, so it wasn't like I was lonely."

"I was--" Shirota searched for the word. "Reticent. But popular enough, I suppose. I excelled at sports."

"I can see that," Akagi said, realizing it was true. Shirota seemed the type to have a few close friends at a time, the kind of friends that could tell when he was being sarcastic or not, but he'd be good at anything he put his mind to and people would respect that.

"So why did you join the army?" Akagi asked suddenly, kicking his feet in the water.

When Shirota didn't respond right away, Akagi looked over at the older man in concern. But Shirota didn't look upset, more like he was trying to figure out how to explain it. Akagi could wait.

"I wanted to fly," Shirota finally said. "I wanted to be a pilot, and I went through all the training, but… I was better suited as a tactician. My flying skills were only mediocre, and I was worth more on the ground."

"But if you loved it…"

Shirota's brown eyes met his gaze ruefully. "If I loved it, I wouldn't have given it up so easily. It must not have mattered that much. But my flight experience was one of the main reasons I was assigned to Team Dai Guard, so some good came of it."

"I don't think I could ever give up being a pilot. Not willingly," Akagi mused. "It's all I ever wanted to do. When we were all re-assigned, I was prepared to go for the good of the company, but when it came down to it… I can't let Dai Guard go."

Shirota's gaze was almost fond as he said, "I don't think you'd be the same Akagi if you could."

Akagi shook his head in agreement, looking away. Dai Guard had given him so much, he really wouldn't be, for all that he had come close to losing his position so many times.

Shaking off that thought, he asked Shirota with a grin, "So where are we going for dinner? Or would you--" he lowered his voice in his Shirota impression, "--prefer to eat alone?"

Shirota rolled his eyes and Akagi laughed. He was never going to let him live that one down.

* * *

They ended up having dinner at the resort, deciding to stop in the nearby town for lunch before they left the next day. Their conversation was more relaxed than earlier, with Shirota mostly listening to Akagi recount office gossip and talk about sports. Somehow, he'd made the mistake of asking Akagi about his model collection, and that lasted all the way back to the room. 

While Akagi was using the bathroom, Shirota decided to inspect the balcony and leaned against the railing, watching the sun as it began to set over the next mountain peak. He heard Akagi leave the bathroom, and was soon joined in viewing the resort valley.

They stood in silence, Akagi a comforting presence beside him. Shirota would never have imagined being so close to the brash man when he first started his assignment, but then, he'd definitely changed since then. Mostly due to his current companion.

He tried not to stiffen when Akagi glanced at him, expression serious for once. He'd had the feeling that Akagi wanted to say something to him for the past few weeks, and had wondered if this trip would reveal it.

"So how have you been holding up?" Akagi asked softly.

Shirota said nothing, staring out at the twilight. He didn't know how to respond.

Akagi tried again. "It's been obvious since the court martial that you aren't happy…"

Shirota glanced at him in surprise. "I don't know what you mean, Akagi."

Akagi held his gaze for a moment, then looked away first with a shrug.

"You just haven't talked about your job the same way you did before. It's like you've lost interest…"

Listening to the sounds of the mountain around them, Shirota let out a breath.

"More like I've lost faith, I think." It didn't become truth until he said it out loud.

His tone was thoughtful, but his hands clenched into fists on the railing. He hadn't wanted to think of this. To deal with it. He'd been unhappy before in his life and he'd plodded through, and he was doing something he believed in. Or, well, he had believed in.

"They were going to drop an OE bomb on Shinjuku," he said, staring down at his hands. "They were going to wipe out an entire city to assuage their stubborn pride."

"But they didn't," Akagi said quietly. "They didn't. Thanks to you."

Shirota shook his head.

"Thanks to you, and your team, is more correct." He held up a hand to still Akagi's protest. "I realized at my court martial that, before the heterodynes began appearing again, I would have supported the cabinet's orders whole-heartedly. I wouldn't have questioned my superiors. I wouldn't have stopped them. I would have thought them entirely just in their actions."

He splayed his hands across the wooden railing, raising his eyes to meet Akagi's gaze.

"But that's not who I am anymore." It hurt to admit it, but he knew Akagi would understand what he was saying.

"That's not me."

* * *

Akagi wanted to refute the claim, but he knew it was true. The Shirota he had butted heads with over a year ago was long gone. It hurt, though, to see Shirota looking so lost, and to know that nothing he said could alleviate it. He was close enough to feel the heat radiating from Shirota's body, Shirota's solid presence, and that warmth, that strength, firmed Akagi's resolve. He threw his shoulders back. 

"You know, Shirota," he said determinedly. "When we were heading en route to the heterodyne, Professor Iizuka said that you think the world of me--"

Shirota's eyes widened, shocked even as his cheeks pinked, but Akagi forged on.

"I just want you to know that I think the world of you, too."

He knew his own cheeks were reddening, but he held Shirota's gaze until the tension dropped from the other man's frame. Before Shirota could respond, though, Akagi continued with a goofy smile.

"The Dai Guard team wouldn't be where we are today if it wasn't for you, anyway. So," he said as he held out his hand. "Thank you, for being there. You're a good man, Shirota. One of the best."

Akagi kept his hand extended and was surprised when Shirota's hesitation ended with a wry grin before clasping Akagi's calloused palm. The handshake was firm, Shirota's skin hot against his own clammy fingers. They let go after holding on longer than strictly necessary.

"Thank you," Shirota murmured.

"I just call it like I see it," Akagi said breezily, leaning against the railing.

Shirota rolled his eyes, but Akagi was relieved to see the melancholy air lift a little. The other man even unbent enough to slouch next to Akagi on the railing.

"My concern," Shirota mused. "Is that I will no longer be an asset to the team. My reputation with my superiors is tarnished, and I'm afraid that may color their orders in the future."

"You could always become a civilian contractor. I'm sure 21st Century Defense would hire you on. You'd probably be paid more that way," Akagi smiled. "We'd be happy to have you. We'd still have Saeki as a military liaison, and he's not as bad as he used to be… You wouldn't have any control over Kokoboga, though."

Shirota mulled it over. Akagi knew that sometimes, just knowing he had options helped. Things would turn out okay, no matter what Shirota decided. Breaking the other man's reverie, Akagi elbowed him in the ribs.

"Just think, if you join PR division 2, that would make me your senior…"

Shirota laughed. "That's hardly enticing, Akagi-- But I'll think about."

Akagi was too distracted by the other man's genuine smile to think of a response.

"Shun." He blurted out.

Shirota glanced at him curiously.

"Call me Shun."

"As you wish."


End file.
